Not applicable.
Not applicable.
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a container/dispenser for fibrous pads, wipes, or towels, generally linked together as a succession of individual wipes to be drawn from the dispenser as needed.
2. Background Information
It is well known to provide individual wipes or cleansing fabrics in the form of sachets contained in sealed foil or like impervious packages, containing one or two moistened and/or medication impregnated paper or fabric sheets. Typically, such sachets comprise a non-woven fabric impregnated with an alcohol based cleanser, perfume, and/or medicament. Such wipes are frequently used for face wipes, for cleaning hands when away from washing facilities, or for wiping the site of an injection just prior thereto. In addition, it has been proposed to use such sachets as baby wipes, for cleansing an infant at the time of a diaper change, for example. Such sachets have the disadvantage of requiring opening of a sealed package or packet just prior to use, a time consuming and delaying factor. However, it is also known to provide a linked succession of such wipes which may be drawn from a single container in sequence, as needed, through an opening at the top of the container. Such containers are typically cylindrical in shape, with a small opening in the top thereof through which the wipes may be drawn, the wipes being joined in the shape of a rope, or as a roll of wipes, within the container. Such a container shall be hereinafter referred to a dispenser, a canister, or a cylindrical container for such wipes. While such dispensers shall be generally referred to herein as being cylindrical, it is to be understood that other shapes are included, such as cubic. Thus, the present invention encompasses containers having horizontal cross-sections which may be circular, oval, square, rectangular, or of any shape forming a container in which wipes or impregnated tissues may be provided.
One of the typical methods of the prior art with respect to such dispensers has been to provide a linked succession of moist non-woven fabric wipes, with tear lines between the individual wipes, defined by perforations which permit one wipe to be torn from the next in succession with a minimal effort, but which are sufficiently resistant to tearing to permit one wipe to draw the next through an opening in the container. Typically the wipes are stored within the dispenser as a loose roll, and the dispenser comprises a closed cylindrical container of synthetic polymer material, having a removable lid at one end. For use, the lid of the container is removed, and the first wipe, (or the end of the roll of wipes, which is usually at the inside of the roll of wipes) is extracted and passed through an opening or through hole in the lid, and the lid is then replaced on the cylindrical body of the dispenser. Successive wipes may then be drawn through the hole in the lid by pulling on the preceding wipe. After tearing the leading wipe from the succeeding wipe, by separating at the perforation, the leading wipe may be opened and used. The end of the succeeding wipe which has been pulled through the hole in the lid, is conventionally covered by a snap-closure which fits tightly over the through hole, often locking the succeeding wipe in place, and prevents evaporation of liquid from the wipes retained within the container, thus keeping the succeeding wipes from drying out.
A dispenser as described above is set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 4,328,907, of Beard, which teaches a dispenser for moistened tissues, wherein successive wipes are drawn through an orifice in the lid. The orifice is provided with a sealing cap providing closure and sealing between acts of dispensing a wipe. The wipes are provided as a roll of wipes positioned within the cylindrical dispenser, and are drawn sequentially from the roll through the orifice in the lid for usage. The lid constitutes a cover for the cylindrical dispenser, said cover having a horizontal top surface, and a peripheral skirt extending downwardly from said top surface, said skirt terminating in a thickened rim to fit into a corresponding circumferential recess in the body of the cylindrical dispenser body to thereby be engaged to the dispenser body. The lid of Beard also demonstrates the use of an integral flexible ring lid, extending from the underside of, and coaxial with, the lid, which engages with the inner edge of an internally directed flexible integral peripheral flange at the top of the dispenser body.
As previously indicated, it is necessary for the consumer to xe2x80x9cstartxe2x80x9d the dispenser roll. This is normally accomplished by removing the lid of the dispenser from the body of the dispenser, grasping the end of the first wipe to be dispensed from the roll, and passing the end of said wipe through the orifice in the lid, after which the lid is returned to the cylindrical dispenser, and with considerable force, snapped back in place thereupon. After the first wipe is drawn through the orifice, and torn off at the perforations in the roll, the cap may then be closed over the orifice, to keep the liquid in the remaining wipes from evaporating, and the succeeding wipe is held in place. However, a problem with this step of xe2x80x9cstartingxe2x80x9d the dispenser roll is that the removal of the lid of the dispenser from the body of the dispenser is difficult, and frequently results in frustration for the consumer, and occasionally broken nails, scraped fingers, and aggravation. Since it is intended that the lid fit over the body of the dispenser tightly, so as to limit evaporation from the contents thereof, the fit of the lid over the body is necessarily tight, often resulting in damage to the sealing members during removal of the lid.
Moreover, such a closure or lid prevents ready access by the consumer to the contents of the dispenser, such as for example, for replacement of the roll of wipes contained therein, or removal of the roll of wipes so as to be able to tear off a number of wipes at one time.
One means to provide a readily removable lid for a dispensing body of the type described has been to provide a threaded closure for the lid on the cylindrical body. While this type of closure does provide more convenient removal, requiring less physical effort by the consumer, such threaded lids unfortunately present their own problems. Such threaded closures are more expensive to manufacture, thus making the product less acceptable to the consumer.
Thus, a need exists for improved dispensers having lid closures, whereby the consumer may readily remove the lid as desired, with a lesser degree of effort, and may reseal the lid over the dispenser without concern for leakage or damage to the sealing means.
In one aspect, the invention comprises an improved configuration of a dispenser for moistened wipes, said dispenser having a removable lid with an orifice therein for passage of wipes to the exterior for usage.
In a preferred embodiment, the improved dispenser comprises a cylindrical body having means on the exterior surface for retention of a lid, said means comprising an external closure flange engaging an internal protrusion at the bottom of the downwardly extending skirt of the lid. The improvement of the present invention is the provision of means by which the consumer may more readily remove the lid, by pressing upwardly upon the lower edge of the skirt of said lid, in a depressed area of the cylindrical body which permits insertion of a finger, thumb, or implement to press the lid upwardly.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the lower edge of the skirt of said lid is protected from accidental engagement with objects which would tend to push the skirt upwardly and remove the lid from the engagement with the external closure flange of the cylindrical body of said dispenser. In this form, the invention provides an outwardly protruding surface on the exterior surface of the cylindrical body of the dispenser, coaxial with both the body of the dispenser and the lid, which protrusion extends outwardly from the cylindrical body at least far enough to be cylindrically planar with the downwardly extending skirt of said lid. This protrusion may be referred to hereinafter as the protruding skirt protection means. However, a portion of said protruding surface on the exterior surface of said cylindrical body is removed, so as to allow the consumer to insert a finger, thumb, nail, or implement under the lower edge of said skirt of said lid, so as to permit its easy removal when desired. By the term xe2x80x9cremovedxe2x80x9d, it is intended to include areas where the protrusion is not present due to the molding of the cylindrical body being so configured that no protrusion is present for a specific region.
The objects of the present invention therefore include providing a wipes dispenser in which the lid is easily removable for xe2x80x9cstartingxe2x80x9d the passage of the wipes through the orifice in the lid. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a means by which the lid of a dispensing body may be readily removed as necessary or desired, for purposes of attaining access to the contents of the body.
These and still other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the description which follows. The following description is merely of the preferred embodiments. Thus, the claims should be looked to in order to understand the full scope of the invention.